Fire and Rain
by GoldenSnitch
Summary: *CHAPTER 5 UP!* Harry's 6th year at Hogwarts proves to be quite an interesting one. New friends...New enemies...New feelings. H/Hr, R/OC, G/?. Please R&R!
1. Hiding Places

Disclaimer: I own nothing, I tell you. NOTHING!! 

  
  


Fire and Rain

  
  


Chapter 1

Hiding Places

  
  


Ginny Weasley sat sipping a glass of pumpkin juice as she studied her favourite brother. Ron hadn't looked that excited since their father had taken them to the Quidditch World Cup, and that had been nearly two years ago. Of course, it hadn't turned out to be all that great after all, but that was in the past now. Voldemort, along with most of his followers, was now gone for good, and Ginny was proud to say that her brother had aided in his descent. Not only had he helped Harry fight him, but he had helped eliminate him. Speaking of Harry...

"Earth to Ginny! Come in, Ginny."

"Huh? Oh...sorry, Ron." she said, blushing furiously (why did she always have to do that?).

"What could you have possibly been thinking about, Ginny?" Ron asked with a small grin tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"Oh, nothing.." she replied, avoiding eye contact. Even though she had long ago gotten over her crush on Harry, he still made her blush once in a while. She sighed loudly, and Ron turned back to the window he had been peering out of for the last hour or so.

"How much longer 'til they get here?" Ron asked in a somewhat whiny tone of voice. 

"Don't worry, Ron. They should be here soon," Ginny reassured her brother. 'They' were Harry and Hermione. After the whole Voldemort ordeal earlier that spring, Dumbledore had thought it best to cancel the rest of the school term, considering that the students were all either disgruntled or extremely overjoyed by the recent events and couldn't fully pay attention in class either way. Every single student (even Hermione...though she had been a teensy bit disappointed at first) welcomed the decision with open arms. Two months had already passed, and summer was starting to get very dull for everyone. Ginny had come up with the idea of having Harry and Hermione over for the rest of the summer not only to add a little excitement to The Burrow, but to save Harry from the Dursleys. Mr and Mrs. Weasley instantly agreed that he didn't deserve to suffer there, let alone for an extra month. They had both left earlier that day to pick him and Hermione up, the Muggle way, of course. There was no way the Dursleys would appreciate them destroying their living room again... And the Grangers weren't exactly used to having people suddenly appear out of nowhere in their home.

The sound of a car turning into the laneway caught Ginny's attention, and she moved to the window along with her brother. Her suspicions were confirmed.

"They're here!"

Ron instantly ran out the door and toward the car, Ginny right on his heels. 

"Ron!,"a dark haired boy exclaimed, jumping out of the car and giving the other boy a very brotherly hug.

"Harry, you're actually here!" Ron said, returning the hug. 

"Of course he is, Ron." Ginny moved in and also gave Harry a hug. "Welcome back, Harry!"

"Thanks, Gin. It feels really good to be back, like I'm finally coming home." He smiled as he looked on toward The Burrow. 

"Ouch! Ron, get off of me! I...can't...breath..."

Harry and Ginny turned to see Hermione getting squeezed to death by Ron and slowly turning purple. Ron did as he was told, but still sported the wide grin he'd been wearing ever since he woke up that morning. 

"Sorry, Herm. I'm just so happy you guys are finally here! I couldn't believe it when Mum and Dad told me you were coming for the REST of the summer...I still can't believe...This is SO wicked!"

"Ok, drama queen. That'll be enough." Ginny teased her brother as she moved to greet Hermione with a warm hug. The two had become quite close the previous year, Ginny being Hermione's only female friend and Ginny having been cursed with a bunch of airheads as roomates. 

"Cookies and pumpkin juice anyone?" Mrs. Weasley asked. After a collective "Oh yes, please!", they all made their way to the comforting work of love that was The Burrow.

  
  


* * *

"No! I don't believe it!" Hermione exclaimed, shocked. 

"Start believing it. Lavender Brown broke up with Justin Finch-Fletchley so she could go out with Seamus Finnigan. At least that's what I heard..." Ginny told her as they sat around the fireplace, munching on some popcorn.

"Alright, girls. I think you've had your fair share of gossip for the night," Ron chuckled as he and Harry sat down with them.

"Oh, shove it, Ron. We know you 'manly men' like to gossip, too." Hermione retorted. "Just ask Ginny who she got her information from." 

"The one and only Dean Thomas, himself," she replied with pride. "He told me lots of other things, too. Like how this one time you accidently..." 

"That'll be enough!" Ron interrupted her, slightly turning pink around the ears, a dead giveaway of his immense embarassment. "Remind me to beat the hell out of Dean the next time I see him," he whispered somewhat loudly to Harry, who, in turn, tried desperately not to burst out laughing.

"So, Hermione, what have you been up to this summer?" Harry asked. He had been meaning to talk to her ever since they had arrived at The Burrow.

Hermione's face instantly lit up. "Well, considering we had an extra month to do whatever we wanted, I decided to start my research on..."

"Must you always talk about books and research and whatnot?" Ron asked. He received a fistful of popcorn to the head as an answer.

"Come on, Ron. She's not as bad as she used to be," Harry winked at her. Hermione felt herself blush. 'Oh my god...did I just do that? Come on, Hermione, it's just Harry. Snap out of it,' she told herself. But she had every right to blush; Harry had obviously grown taller during the summer, and his facial features had definitely matured. He wasn't the same boy she had first met on the Hogwarts Express, nearly 6 years earlier. No, Harry Potter had become very handsome over the summer. Almost too handsome for Hermione to stand. 'What the hell am I thinking? He's my best friend!'she tried convincing herself. 

"Anyway!" The sound of Ginny's voice brought an end to Hermione's train of thought. "Let's do something...how about we play a game or something?"

"Like...?" Ron looked bored. 

"Like...," Ginny stood and thought for a moment, "...how about Hide and Seek! We could play outside in the dark!"

"Ginny, that's so childish."

"Oh, Ron. It'll be fun, just like old times," Harry said as he stood up along with Ginny. 

"Yeah, Ron. It'll be fun," Hermione also stood.

Obviously outnumbered and not wanting to see Ginny's temper make an appearance, Ron gave in. "Ok...but I'm not It."

"No, last one there's It!" Hermione said as she, Harry and Ginny took off toward the back door.

"Hey! No fair!" Ron yelled at them as he stood up and raced after them.

  
  


* * *

"This is so unfair...," Ron grumbled to himself as he made his way toward a tree to count. He could hear the others snickering in the background. "One...two...three...four..." 

Harry and Hermione immediatly took off in the same direction, and Ginny went the opposite way. 

"Where are we going?" Hermione asked once they were out of earshot from Ron. 

Harry looked around for a moment, not quite sure where to go next. "Uh...how about this way," he said, grabbing Hermione's hand as he started running to his left. Suddenly, a white light flashed before their eyes, and as soon as they had started running, they vanished. 

  
  
  
  


A/N: Please read and review! Come on! It's right down there!

  
  



	2. The Attic

Disclaimer: If I owned Harry Potter, would I be writing fanfiction? Didn't think so...

  
  
  
  


Fire and Rain

  
  


Chapter 2

The Attic

  
  


"Ouf!"

As the dust parted, Hermione found herself lying right on top of Harry, their faces very close. A little too close. A small smile crossed Harry's lips, and Hermione felt herself go red. She hoped he hadn't noticed...

"Oh my God, it actually worked!" Tearing their eyes away from each other, they turned their heads toward the voice.

A girl neither of them had ever seen before emerged from behind a tall, musty screen. She had straight jet black hair and clear dark blue eyes. She wore an unbuttoned long white lab coat and a wide grin. 

Hermione quickly removed herself from Harry and helped him stand up. Harry immediatly reached for his wand but couldn't find it on him.

"I believe you are looking for this," the girl said with satisfaction as she held the wand out to him. "And don't worry, I doubt you'll have to use it...unless you crashed into my cage of lab experiments when you arrived. It could get kind of ugly..." 

"Who are you and how did we get here?" Harry interrupted.

"The name's Anika Storm," she answered, stepping forward and holding her hand out. When neither of them made any move to take it, she dropped it and took a step back. "Ok then. Now, tell me...who are YOU?"

After a brief inspection of her surroundings and of the girl standing across the small room, Hermione decided that wherever they were, it wasn't a dangerous place. She looked over at Harry, who also seemed to be warming up to the situation, and decided to speak.

"Nice to, er, meet you, Anika. I'm Hermione Granger, and this is..."

"Harry Potter," Harry spoke up, following Hermione's lead. He stood there waiting for Anika to show any sign of instant recognition and wonderment. But her expression stayed the same. 

"Well, nice to meet you, too, Hermione...and Harry," she replied. Of course she knew who Harry Potter was (who didn't?), but she wasn't going to freak out as she figured most people did. He probably hated it anyway. "So, I suppose you want to know how you got here."

"And where 'here' is."

"Of course," Anika said as she looked around the room for a couple of chairs. "Here, take a seat."

Harry and Hermione sat down on the two fold up chairs now directly in front of them, and Anika took a seat on a nearby trunk. They both sat eagerly awaiting an explication.

She rubbed her hands together excitedly before starting. "First of all, you're in my attic."

"That would explain all the dust," Harry added as he noticed some on his arm and dusted it off.

"Yes, well, I haven't had much time to clean up yet. You see, I just recently moved here with my Dad. I'll be going to Hogwarts this year...I'm assuming you guys go there too..."

"Of course!," Hermione exclaimed. She always got excited when the subject of a conversation was school. "We're both in Gryffindor house, and our 6th year starts next month."

"No kidding! I'll be in 6th year, too! What a coincidence," Anika beamed. "I don't know what House I'll be put in, though.."

"I'm guessing...either Gryffindor or Ravenclaw," Hermione predicted.

"Either one would be great!," Anike added. "But back to the subject at hand: can you guys tell me what you saw before you ended up here?"

"Not much...only a really bright light," Harry told her. Anika grabbed a pen out of her coat pocket and scribbled a few things down on a piece of paper. Harry and Hermione watched her until she was finished writing.

"Alright...what you guys went through was a portal. I read about them a few months back, and I've been working on one ever since. Today was its first test, and by the looks of it, it actually worked!" Anika explained, smiling a bit as she noticed Harry and Hermione's jaws drop ever so slightly.

"A portal...? How far exactly are we from where we came from?" Hermione asked, getting a bit concerned. 

"Oh, don't worry about that. The portal only has a 5 mile radius, so you guys must have been at exactly 5 miles from this attic when you saw that bright light," she reassured them. "And even if you had come from thousands of miles away, this baby's a two-way, so you can get back the same way you got here." 

"Wow...but why...how did you...," Harry stumbled.

Anika briefly glanced at her watch, and looked back up. Her eyes grew suddenly very large as she realized what time it was. She quickly stood up and moved behind the musty screen, from where Harry and Hermione could hear a few odd sounds emerging. 

"Was it something I said?" Harry asked Hermione, confused. She looked just as confused as he did. 

  
  


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"...Fifty-seven....fifty-eight...fifty-nine...sixty! Ready or not, here I come!" Ron yelled at the top of his lungs and opened his eyes. He spun around and saw...nothing. Everything was pitch black, and Ron felt blind as a bat. He reached for his wand, whispered "Lumos!" and started walking along the side of the house. Something caught his eye as he was just about to turn the corner. With his wand leading the way, he slowly approached his first victim and...

"Ahhhh!!"

Ron nearly fell backward as he tried to get away from it. 

"Ron! Are you alright?" Ginny came running toward her brother. When all he did was lean against the wall while holding his heart, she started to worry. "What is it? Are you hurt?"

"Ss....sss..."

"What?"

"Ss..sp..sp...ider..." he gasped.

"A spider? You saw a spider?" Ginny asked, not believing what she had just heard. She then burst out laughing. 

"W-why are laughing? It's n-not funny!" Ron attempted to gain composure but failed miserably.

"Oh come on, Ron! You scream like a girl!" she said before laughing some more. A few moments past before she finally stopped.

Ron, still pouting, started walking toward the garden shed in the backyard. "I do not scream like a girl..." he grumbled under his breath.

"Oh yes, you do!" Ginny said, catching up to him. 

"I do not."

"Do to."

"Do not!"

Ginny was about to say "Do to!" once again when she noticed that a couple of people were still missing.

"Hey, have you seen Harry and Hermione?" she asked, looking around as she did so.

"No. I haven't exactly been looking, now, have I?" Ron replied, his voice rich with sarcasm. "I suppose they didn't hear me...wherever they are."

"Impossible. That scream was so loud...I thought you'd been attacked by a raging banshee!"

"Ha ha, very funny," he said, not at all amused. "Well, I suppose we should go find them. I'll go this way, you go that way."

"Are you sure you'll be fine all by yourself?"

Without answering, Ron stomped off in one direction as Ginny made her way in another, chuckling, of course. 

  
  


***Fifteen long minutes later*** 

  
  


"Any luck?" Ginny asked as she joined her brother.

"Nope. And you obviously haven't had any either." Ron replied, noticing it was still just the two of them. "Where in the bloody name of God could they have gone?"

  
  


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"What is she doing in there?" Hermione asked, talking mostly to herself. As soon as she finished speaking, a cloud of purple smoke began to form itself in the center of the room, and Anika finally came out from behind the screen, beads of sweat dripping down the sides of her temples. 

"Sorry guys, but it's time for you to leave," she told them, wiping the sweat off her face with the sleeve of her coat. "The portal can only exist for a certain period of time, and since this one was my first, I'm guessing you only have about a minute and a half to get back to wherever it is you came from. So, unless you want to spend the night here in my attic, I suggest you go through the portal now."

"Are you sure it'll take us straight back to The Burrow?" Harry asked as he and Hermione eyed the portal suspiciously.

"Well, I can't guarantee you anything, but..." Anika trailed off as she saw the looks on their faces. "Just trust me, ok? Now hurry up! You only have 30 seconds left!"

Harry and Hermione looked at each other once before stepping in front of the portal, and, just as Hermione reached for Harry's hand, they were both sucked into the purple smoke, leaving Anika all alone once more in her musty old attic. 

  
  
  
  


A/N: Will Harry and Hermione make it back to The Burrow? And in one piece? Stay tuned to find out! And don't forget to review please! Thanks to everyone who reviewed chapter 1 (aren't you guys lucky? You only had to wait a day for chapter 2! Yes, I am very proud of myself).

  
  


Good night and have a pleasant tomorrow! 


	3. Blame It On The Pumpkin Juice

Disclaimer: I've said it before and I'll say it again. I DO NOT own Harry Potter. Get it? Got it? Good. ; )

A/N: Sorry for the lack of H/Hr. I really had to get this fic going before I could get into all the shippiness. But fret no more, for this next chapter will feature some much wanted (and deserved) H/Hr interraction! Yes! Oh, and I know it may seem that only bad things happen to Ron, but hey, it's called comic relief. You know, this fic was almost going to have Ron die a slow and painful death and then haunt Harry and Hermione's dreams and stuff, but luckily I decided against it. Poor 'ickle Ronnikins! Oh well....on with the story! 

  
  


Fire and Rain

  
  


Chapter 3

Blame It On The Pumpkin Juice

  
  


"Where in the bloody name of God could they have gone?"

As Ron spoke, Ginny tilted her head to the side, narrowing her eyes.

"Do you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Ron asked. 

"That."

"I don't hear anything."

"Well, maybe, just maybe, if you kept quiet for a few seconds, you'd hear what I was talking about." Ginny replied, slightly annoyed. Ron crossed his arms and cocked his head up to hear whatever it was Ginny was supposedly hearing. After a few short moments, he brought his head back down and sighed heavily.

"See? There's nothing out there. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to go continue our search for Harry and Hermione," he told her stubbornly. He turned on his heels and started making his way toward the side of the house when he suddenly heard it. 

"What the hell...?" he said, looking all around him. When he finally looked back up, two figures were falling out of the sky.

A look of complete terror and astonishment spread across his face as he watched the figures coming closer, and closer, and closer... 'Why aren't these things working?!' his mind screamed as he desperately pulled on his legs in a failed attempt to get them moving.

"Aaaaggghh!!!"

And before he even knew it...

**Wham!**

The world around him slowly faded to black.

  
  


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"Ron? Ron, are you okay?" a voice asked urgently. 

"Oh my God...I think he's dead!" another voice cried out. 

"Nonsense! If he was dead, he wouldn't be breathing!" yet another voice said.

"Ugh...."

"Ron? Ron! You're alive!"

"Huh?" Ron slowly opened his eyes and three heads came into focus. He felt someone pull him into a sitting position. He looked over to see who it was and saw that it was...

"Harry?"

"Yeah, it's me, Ron. Is your head feeling alright?" Harry asked.

Ron sat immobile for a few seconds, then suddenly stood up. 

"What just happened?" he asked, looking around him for any more falling objects.

"Er...why don't you explain it to him, Hermione?"

Taking a very deep breath, Hermione explained. And it only took her a record of 15 seconds. 

"You went through WHAT?"

"Oh, don't be so surprised, Ron. It was only a portal." Ginny snapped.

"And you met WHO?" Ron asked, unphased by his sister's remark.

"This girl...Anika Storm. She's new, and she'll be going to Hogwarts this year," Harry told him.

And as if reading Ron's mind, Hermione added, "I'm sure you'll like her." 

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked, trying not to look too amused.

Hermione simply laughed, and they all made their way back to the house, having had enough excitement for one night. 

  
  


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"Goodnight, Hermione."

"Goodnight, Ron."

"Goodnight, Harry."

"G'night, Ron."

"Goodnight, Ginny."

"Goodbye, Ron," she replied, closing the door ever so politely in her brother's face. And with a twinkle in her eye, she turned around to face Hermione sitting on the edge of her bed, her nose in a rather large book. Ginny strided over to the bed and sat down beside her.

"Hey," Hermione said without taking her eyes off her book. 

"Hello," Ginny replied, a little too happily. Hermione didn't notice. Ginny tried making conversation, even though she knew it was pretty impossible to pry Hermione away from reading. "So...what are you reading about?"

Hermione simply lifted the book in Ginny's direction for her to read the title herself. 

'Ok...that didn't work,' she thought. She sat silently for a few moments, and then, as if finding the cure for some deadly disease, her face lit up.

"Hermione?"

"Hmm..."

"Have you noticed how Harry has...changed over the summer?" 

Hermione's eyes grew wide, and she quickly placed her book down. "Wh-what are you talking about? He still looks the same to me," she lied.

"Uh-huh," Ginny said, unconvinced. "You haven't noticed anything at all?"

"Nope, nothing." Ginny could tell she was getting nervous. 

"Well, I think he's grown up quite a bit, if you know what I mean. But don't get me wrong...I got over him a long time ago, so you won't have to worry about me," she added, becoming quite satisfied with the look on Hermione's face.

"What would I have to worry about?"

"Competition, of course," Ginny explained. "You know, a lot of the girls are going to be running after him once they see how gorgeous he's become..."

"Honestly, Ginny!" Hermione exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air. "Besides, it's not like he would ever be interested in me."

"Are you kidding me?" Ginny let out a little laugh. She looked almost shocked. "Have you seen the way he looks at you?"

"Don't be ridiculous..."

"I'm not making this up, Hermione. I've seen it with my own eyes," she said in a softer tone of voice. "And I've seen how you always turn beet red whenever he even mentions your name."

At this, Hermione had nothing to say.

"I wish I had a guy to look at me like that...," Ginny mused for a moment. Then, feeling like her work there was done, she sighed heavily and stood to leave Hermione with her thoughts. Before closing the door behind her, she looked back toward Hermione.

"Goodnight and pleasant dreams!"

"Yeah...goodnight, Ginny...," Hermione said, only faintly aware of her presence. Ginny grinned and finally left the room.

  
  
  
  


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After two full hours of rolling around in bed, Hermione, unable to fall asleep (especially after her little talk with Ginny), decided to head down to the kitchen for a glass of milk. Anything to make her fall asleep. Anything to make her stop thinking of him. 

She slowly got out of bed, put her housecoat and slippers on, and tried desperately not to wake anyone in the house as she made her way down the many flights of stairs in The Burrow. 

Once in the kitchen, she made her way through the dark to the refrigerator to look for some milk. Unable to find any, she settled for some pumpkin juice and closed the refrigerator door. She began pouring herself a glass when someone cleared their throat. Hermione jumped at the sound, spilling some juice all over the floor.

"Who's there?" she asked, searching through the darkness for whoever had startled her.

"It's ok, Herm. It's just me." She immediately recognized the voice. 

"Harry? Where the heck are you?" she asked, still trying to find him.

"Right here," he replied in her ear. Hermione jumped (yet again).

"What did you do that for? Are you trying to give me a heart attack?" she turned and asked him, only slightly annoyed, but mostly amused.

"I don't know. What do you think?"

"You don't want to know what I'm thinking," Hermione replied.

"Oh? Well, in that case, why don't you answer me this. What could Hermione Granger possibly be doing down here in the middle of the night?"

"That's funny..because I was about to ask you the same thing," she replied honestly. 

Harry shrugged. "Couldn't sleep."

"Neither could I..." Hermione trailed off, suddenly remembering the very reason she hadn't been able to fall asleep. She looked down at her feet and noticed the small pool of pumpkin juice on the floor. 

"Look what you made me do, Harry James Potter," she said, pointing down at the mess before bending down to clean it up. 

"You know, I didn't mean to startle you like that," he told her and bent down to help.

Hermione sighed. "It's ok. It wasn't your fault. I was just being my usual clumsy old self again.."

Harry stopped cleaning up the mess, placed his hand on her arm and looked her straight in the eye. "Hermione, you are the most intelligent, dependable, funny, beautiful, down to earth girl I have ever met...I mean, the list could go on forever. But clumsy is definitely not on that list."

All Hermione could do was stare back. 'Did he just say that?' She could feel the warmth of his hand radiating through the soft, thin material of her housecoat. It was a very comforting feeling. 

Harry tore his eyes away from hers, removed his hand from her arm, and glanced down at the floor. 

"Well, looks like everything's cleaned up," he said. "I guess I should be heading back to bed now..." 

"Yeah, me too," Hermione finally found her voice. 

"Goodnight, Hermione."

"Goodnight, Harry," she replied as she watched him walk up towards his bedroom until the moment he was out of sight. She sighed softly, placed the pumpkin juice back into the refrigerator, and slowly made her way to her own bedroom. Once there, she removed her housecoat and slippers, slipped under the covers of her bed, and lay her head down rather hard on the pillow. 

It didn't look like Hermione was going to be getting any sleep that night after all. 

  
  
  
  
  
  


A/N: Thanks to the 1 person that reviewed chapter 2 (you know who you are!). I guess one is better than none....Anyway, I hope you guys can review this chapter! Thanks for reading! 


	4. The Good, The Bad, And The Very Confused

Disclaimer: Honestly, do you really think that *I* would be able to come up with something as huge as Harry Potter?

A/N: I'm glad you guys enjoyed chapter 3! And thanks for reviewing! Sorry if this chapter kinda sucks..and it's not as long as the others. I haven't had time to write that much, and I went to a funeral today so I'm pretty drained. But that was 8 hours ago, and I kinda got bored, so I decided to finally write chapter 4 anyway...Here it is. Review it please. Make my day. I could really use the encouragement. : )

  
  


Fire and Rain

  
  


Chapter 4

The Good, The Bad, and The Very Confused

  
  


A whole month had already gone by, and Hermione's head was about to burst. Harry's attitude toward her changed so often during that last month that she had long ago lost count. One minute he would be all sweet and flirtatious with her, and the next minute he would become distant and cold. And, to make matters worse, they were going back to school now, and Hermione would be faced with, as Ginny had called it, her competition. It was really starting to annoy her. 

"Why is he doing this to me, Ginny?" Hermione asked, once Harry and Ron had left their compartment on the Hogwarts Express to seek out sweets.

"What did you expect? Boys aren't like us girls. They don't know how to just let it all out. Especially Harry...he's never really had anyone to lean on, so he ends up with all these emotions bottled up inside of him that he doesn't know what to do with," Ginny explained. "Besides, he's probably scared out of his wits and just as confused as you are."

"Gee, you sure know your stuff, Gin. Have you ever considered becoming a therapist?" Hermione asked, a grin forming on her lips.

Ginny laughed. "Well, that's what you get for having six brothers."

Hermione sighed and absent-mindedly watched the scenery outside flying by the compartment window. "So, you really think he's just scared?"

"I'm sure that's what it is," Ginny replied, resting her elbows on her knees. "You know Harry wouldn't do anything to hurt you, especially on purpose...don't you?"

"Of course I know that. He's told me enough times already...," Hermione said.

"Oh really?" Ginny mused. But before she could say anything more, the compartment door slid open, and Harry and Ron walked in, their arms filled with all sorts of candy and chocolate. 

"You girls gossiping again?" Ron asked as he awkwardly tried to sit down without spilling his sweets.

"Uh...yeah...something like that," Ginny replied, winking at Hermione, who, in turn, tried to stifle a smile.

"You know, you guys are going to ruin your supper by eating all that junk," Hermione said, inspecting the food Harry had brought back with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh, 'Mione," Harry began. She loved it when he called her that. "You sure you don't want a bite of this?" he asked, holding a very delicious looking chocolate bar in front of her face.

Hermione could feel her tongue lick her lips as she pondered whether or not to give in. She'd been craving chocolate for the past few days...and she could sure use some right now...

"Ah, what the hell," she exclaimed, grabbing the bar from his hand. As she did so, her fingers brushed up against his, sending shivers up her arm. Harry simply smiled at her, then turned back to his pile of candy. Hermione felt like sighing; that smile...Harry's smile...it made her melt every single time. Sometimes the feeling was even a bit overwhelming. She wasn't used to being so attracted to a guy, especially one that was her best friend. 

Ginny didn't need to watch them eating away for very long before she got the urge to join in. 

The rest of the trip to Hogwarts was filled with munching sounds, the occasional joke on Ron's part, and a few stolen glances toward Harry, on Hermione's part, of course. 

  
  


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The Hogwarts Express slowed to a stop, and everyone on board got off the train. The older students watched as the first years reluctantly followed Rubeus Hagrid toward the lake for the traditional boat ride to Hogwarts. Ron chuckled as he watched a red-headed boy running to catch up to the moving crowd.

"Ahh...I remember my first day here like it was yesterday," he sighed.

"Yeah, me too," Ginny replied, also watching the first years. "I feel so old all of a sudden.."

"Don't we all," a soft voice from behind said. Something about that voice sounded oddly familiar. She turned around and was hit by instant recognition.

"Draco Malfoy?" 

"The one and only," he replied with a slight smirk.

"What do you want?" Ginny asked, her harsh voice clashing with his gentle one, and she instantly regretted it. Though she didn't exactly want to be 'graced' with his presence, she couldn't help noticing how, well, less evil he looked. She couldn't really put her finger on it, but it was quite evident that Draco Malfoy had changed over the summer as well. 

"Well, I just wanted to..." he began, but was unable to finish his sentence.

"Malfoy! Get away from my sister!"

"Hello to you too, Ron," Draco replied calmly without moving away from Ginny.

Ron was temporarily shocked. "W-what did you call me?"

"Uh...I didn't call you anything. But I could if you wanted me to," Draco told him.

"No...no, if I can recall correctly, you said 'Hello to you too, Ron'.." he replied, emphasizing his own name. 

Draco momentarily stared at him in disbelief, but quickly recovered. "Well, if you prefer being called Weasel, I suppose I could make an exception for you..."

"What are you on about, Malfoy?" Ron asked, getting very annoyed, very quickly.

"Absolutely nothing," Draco shrugged. 

"Yes, well, I'd suggest you get as far away from me and my sister as humanly possible before I decide whether or not I should beat the bloody hell out of you," Ron told him, taking a threatening step forward. 

Draco threw his hands up in defeat. "Fine, I'm leaving." Before turning to walk away, he glanced over at Ginny, a look of...what was that? Longing? No, it couldn't be...could it?

"Come, Ginny," Ron said, guiding his sister toward the others. "Malfoy won't be bothering you anymore. Not if I have anything to do with it."

Ginny remained speechless as they made their way toward Harry and Hermione, who were both on the tips of their toes, searching the crowd for a certain someone.

"Do you see her?" they heard Hermione ask Harry as they approached. 

"See who?" Ron asked, also looking around.

"You know...Anika," Harry replied.

"Oh! Right. Her," Ron said, remembering quite clearly Hermione's little remark. He was dying to see if he would really like her as much as Hermione had predicted. 

"Well, we're bound to bump into her sometime tonight," Harry said. "In the meantime, we better start making our way to the Great Hall or we'll be late for the feast." 

The others quickly agreed (though they weren't that hungry after eating so much on the way there) as they entered one of the horseless carriages that would bring them to the castle.

  
  


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The Sorting Hat ceremony went by. And no Anika. Dumbledore's welcoming speech went by. And no Anika. The feast went by. Still, no sign of Anika. And even though she didn't really know her, Hermione began to worry.

"Harry...what if something terrible happened to her?" she asked as they made their way toward the Gryffindor common room.

"Don't worry so much, 'Mione," he replied, placing his arm around her shoulders. "I'm sure everything's fine."

Hermione flinched slightly at this gesture. She wasn't used to having him so close to her. But it wasn't like she was complaining or anything.... 

"I suppose..." she said, though unconvinced.

As they continued their journey toward Gryffindor House, they passed a group of third years. Extremely 'giggly' third years. 

"It seems as though you've gotten yourself a new fan club," Hermione laughed as they turned down another hallway.

"Just what I needed," Harry groaned. "And this year seems to be worse than any other..."

Hermione smiled as she realized that maybe she wouldn't have so much competition this year after all. 

"Well, you know, you could hide under your bed from them for the entire year, but I don't think the dust bunnies will be too happy about that," she teased. "Besides, you'd probably starve or something..."

"Not if you bring me leftovers every day."

"I see. And how would I possibly gain access to the boys dormitory?" 

"I'd let you in, of course. But only you...no one else from the female species."

"Aw...I feel so special!" Hermione exclaimed, sarcastic. 

"You are special to me, Hermione. And don't you ever forget that," Harry told her, seriously. Hermione felt her cheeks go red (yes, again). There was nothing she liked more than to be complimented by Harry Potter, The Boy Who Lived, her very best friend in the whole wide world...

Her thoughts were interrupted by his voice. 

"I'm sick of walking...let's race the rest of the way," Harry suddenly said, taking his arm off of her shoulders. 

"Harry, you know we can't..." she began, but Harry had already taken off. She took a long deep breath, and, knowing that if they were caught, they'd be in very deep trouble, started running after him.

  
  
  
  


A/N: Ok...I'll leave it there before I totally screw it up. I'm litterally falling asleep at the keyboard as I am typing this. Anyway, please review! Thank you! And who knows when chapter 5 will be done...some time this century, I hope. *joking* Ok...I REALLY need to get some sleep now. Ta-ta! 


	5. Interruptions

Disclaimer: The answer is no, ok?

A/N: Ah, there's nothing like waking up with a massive cold! Yes, I am terribly sick. I can barely talk, as a matter of fact (I sound like an old hag when I do...*cringe*), so I might as well write chapter 5. 

  
  


Fire and Rain

  
  


Chapter 5

Interruptions

  
  


"Harry! Wait!" Hermione yelled as she ran to catch up with him. Just as she turned the corner of a hallway, Harry turned into another one. She groaned inwardly before following him. But as she turned into the hallway, she immediately bumped into something. Someone. That person turned around and faced her with quite an annoyed expression.

"First him and now you! How many times am I going to get run over today?"

"Malfoy?" Hermione asked, frowning. She saw Harry slowly approaching from over Draco's shoulder.

"Yeah...," Draco cautiously said. And after a very short staring match, he added, "Now, if you don't mind, I'll just be on my way."

Harry and Hermione both watched with a mixture of shock, surprise and relief as he jogged down the hallway, toward the dungeons.

"What just happened?" Harry asked, moving beside her.

"I'm not sure," Hermione replied, deep in thought. "Did you notice how...civil he was?"

"And did you notice how he didn't call you 'Mudblood' or me 'Scarhead'?" he pondered for a moment. "But he's probably just up to something...as usual."

"I don't know...there's something strange about him. I don't know what it is, but it's definitely there," Hermione said as they began walking toward Gryffindor Tower.

Harry simply nodded.

"Do you think it has anything to do with...what happened?" she asked, while secretly wondering why she even cared the slightest bit about Malfoy.

"It probably has everything to do with it..." Harry sighed. They now found themselves in front of the Fat Lady. He stood there, idle, waiting for Hermione to open the door. She just looked at him as if to say 'What are you waiting for? Open the damn door!'.

"Um...Hermione...don't you have the password?" Harry said slowly.

"No, am I supposed to have it?" she retorted, placing her hands on her hips. 

"But you always have it..."

"Well, not this time. Honestly, Harry! Weren't YOU listening when McGonagall gave it to us?"

He looked completely unphazed. 

"Of course not. I was focusing on more...important things," he told her, his eyes gleaming slightly as he looked directly into her own. 

Hermione couldn't help but notice the way he looked at her. It had only recently become more evident, and there was no denying that he was seeing her in a whole new light. She met his gaze, not wanting to brake the connection. And before she even knew it, Harry's face was approaching hers. The more she looked at him, the closer he got. She could feel his warm breath caressing her skin, and her heart was beating so fast she was sure he could probably hear it too. Their lips were about to meet when the portrait door swung open. They quickly separated, their faces completely flushed.

"What are you guys doing out here?" Ron asked, totally oblivious to what could have just happened between his two best friends. "I've been wondering where you were.."

Harry was the first to sober up. "Yeah, well, Hermione here forgot the password to the..."

"I did not, you bloke!" she spoke up, her eyes still showing the longing she had just been feeling a few seconds before.

Ron chuckled as Hermione lightly punched Harry on the arm and as a look of mock pain crossed his face. Harry let her step through the portrait door first, then quickly followed before Ron closed the door behind them. 

  
  


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Two weeks had now gone by, and Harry thought he was going to have to admit himself to St-Mungo's sooner or later. He just couldn't concentrate at all. Not in classes. Not on homework assignments. Not even on Quidditch. His mind kept on shifting to that intimate moment with Hermione that Ron so conveniently interrupted. Not that there was anything wrong with Ron...he just seemed to always be in the wrong place at the wrong time. 

"Harry?" someone asked, but he couldn't see who it was. All he kept seeing was her face, her eyes, her lips...

A hand flashing in front of his eyes brought him back to Earth. 

"Huh?" 

"Are you feeling alright?" He saw that it was Ron. "You've been unresponsive for the past couple of minutes...maybe you should stop by Madam Pomfrey's."

"No, no. I'm fine," Harry replied, running a hand through his unruly hair. "I just need to get to class and..."

Ron interrupted him. "Harry, there are no classes today. It's Saturday, remember?"

A look of sudden realization spread across his face. "Oh...oh! Right, Saturday.."

Ron gave him a worried look.

"I'm fine! Really!" Harry said, frustration clearly in his voice, as he stood to make his way toward his escape. The door. 

"Don't go too far. Dumbledore wants us all down in the Great Hall in 10 minutes. Some speech...or something."

Harry stopped, his hand resting on the door knob. "Ok...yeah...I'll see you down there then," he said, turning his head toward his best friend before leaving the room.

"Yep," Ron said aloud to the empty room. "Something's definitely up. And I have every intention of finding out what it is."

  
  


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The Great Hall was practically full when Harry finally entered it. He spotted Ron and Neville, and made his way through the sea of people toward them. 

"Hey," he said, once he joined them. "What's this all about anyway?"

"Beats me," Neville shrugged as he stretched his neck in an attempt to see over the heads of the other students, toward the teachers' table. Harry did the same but had a slightly different target. He scanned the crowd for a certain brown haired Gryffindor and finally found her at the other end of the room, laughing at what must have been a very funny joke. He smiled to himself as he watched her. 

She was standing with Ginny and some other girl with dark hair who had her back to him. Ginny pointed out something in the crowd and both Hermione and the girl turned to look at it. Harry instantly recognized the other girl: Anika. Anika had arrived at Hogwarts six days after the start of the term, the reason being that she had gotten...lost on the way there (she had used a portal, of course, but even though she was sure her calculations had been right, she still ended up somewhere in Poland). And even though she had been placed in Ravenclaw, that didn't stop Hermione from spending as much time with her as possible. She found her very intriguing with all her crazy ideas and inventions, and both she and Ginny thought it nice to have another somewhat normal girl around. Harry didn't see much of her, since he didn't have many classes with her, but they still managed to chat with each other once in a while. Ron, on the other hand, had yet to meet her. 

'That'll change soon enough..' Harry grinned as he thought of the plan Ginny had come up with Hermione to set the two up. His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of someone clearing their throat. He looked up and noticed that Dumbledore was now standing in front the students, waiting patiently for the chattering to die down before speaking.

"Students of Hogwarts! Once again, I welcome you to a brand new year!" Dumbledore said with a warm smile. "You must be wondering why I have summoned your presence to the Great Hall this lovely autumn day."

Some students nodded while others glanced up toward the magical ceiling of the Great Hall. Dumbledore was right; it was indeed a glorious day.

"After much consideration," he went on, "We, my fellow Professors and I, have come to the conclusion that there will be another Yule Ball held in this very room, in exactly four weeks time."

At this, the whole student population broke into loud cheers as the Headmaster looked on with a broad smile. 

"Now, I suggest you get your very best dress robes ready to wear because I'm sure you all know how fast time can fly by at Hogwarts when a special event like this is anticipated." he chuckled at the excited (and even terrified) expressions on the faces of so many students. 

"That will be all. Enjoy the rest of your weekend!" Dumbledore continued to smile as he watched the room become deserted once more.

  
  


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"I can't believe it!" Ron complained, obviously not too fond of the idea of making a complete fool of himself yet again. 

"I know," was all Harry could say. He kind of liked the idea of having another Ball. He'd actually have an excuse to be close to Hermione. Not that he needed one...

"And who's going to want to go with me? Everyone knows what a terrible dancer I am," Ron said, remembering the wonderful time he had had at the last Yule Ball.

"It won't be that bad, Ron," Harry tried to reasssure him. "Besides, I am positive that there's somebody in this school who is just dying to go with you."

Ron sighed loudly. "I just hope you're right..."

'You don't know how right I'll be once our plan works,' Harry grinned as he thought of what he, Hermione and Ginny had called 'Project RNG' (Ron Needs a Girlfriend).

"What are you so happy about?" Ron asked suspiciously, bringing Harry back to the present.

"You'll find out soon enough..." Harry vaguely told him.

Ron stopped and raised an eyebrow at him. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"I'm not saying anything more," Harry replied stubbornly and began walking down the hallway.

Ron stood there frowning for a moment before he realized that Harry was gone.

  
  
  
  


A/N: Ok..that's it. I can't take it anymore. I had to stop it there because if I didn't, you guys wouldn't be getting this chapter for another week. What's up with Malfoy? What exactly are Harry, Hermione and Ginny planning to do with Ron? How the heck did Anika end up in Poland? And why Poland? And will Harry and Hermione EVER kiss?? Next chapter will be up some time this millenium (aka I have no idea). Thanks for reading and please REVIEW! Thank you!


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